


Sakura

by Moomieluv



Category: Harvest Moon, 牧場物語2 | Harvest Moon 64
Genre: Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2020-05-18 08:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19331101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moomieluv/pseuds/Moomieluv
Summary: A young woman taking over her grandfather's farm in Flowerbud Village forms relationships where she least expects them. Harvest Moon 64 fic with female OC (MC/player in place of Jack/Pete).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I wrote this HM 64 fic with an OC named Page (MC female equivalent of Jack/Pete). I know many of us, including my self, played 64 wishing we had the chance to play as a female character, so I thought I would make that happen. Enjoy :)!

What was it that made Flowebud Village so special? From soaring mountains to rich sandy beaches, plentiful wildlife to quaint cobblestone roads, it was unlike anywhere else. Perhaps that’s what drove Page to take over the old man’s farm in the first place, or maybe it was something she hadn’t found just yet. 

A week had passed since Page moved to Flowerbud. She and her grandfather had never been particularly close, however she wasn’t very close to all that many people to begin with. Ties with her family were strained and stressful and it seemed that over time her few friends had scattered to the wind. Her life was at a standstill as she felt herself trudging from one day to the next, living with a purpose she just couldn’t seem to find.

While some may speculate that the young woman’s recent move was just another decision made on impulse, for Page it was much more. She needed space to breathe with boundless time to spend and refresh her senses. The stresses of day to day life seemed to have drained the color from her world and she feared the day would come where she couldn’t trudge through anymore. And so, her decision was made. It was time to appreciate life for all it had to offer. After all, life, like the cherry blossoms, was beautiful and fleeting. When the opportunity to take over her grandfather’s farm presented itself she simply couldn’t refuse. Perhaps, it was fate. 

Page had an iron will. She was smart, strong, charismatic, but most of all, she was determined. The blatant doubt in her father’s eyes as he challenged her to restore the old farm was all she needed for motivation. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP 

It was 6:00 am when Page jolted out of bed, her heart pounding in her chest. A wave of panic rushed over her as she once again realized the overwhelming challenge that lay ahead. She turned off her alarm clock and quickly brushed her teeth making certain to avoid her tired reflection in the mirror. She threw on a red t-shirt and picked her worn pair of overalls off the floor, pulling them up over her slightly pudgy stomach and buckling them. Page quickly tied her curly, dark brown hair into a half pony tail and slapped on her grandfather’s old backwards baseball cap as a sort of “good luck” charm. She grabbed a few tools, threw them in her rucksack, and started towards her fields. 

“What a mess…” Page sighed to herself unsure if she was referring to the farm, herself of both. 

She grabbed her sickle and hacked away at the weeds littering her farm. One by one she managed to clear a small space that she reserved for planting her first spring crops. She stood back and relished in her small accomplishment. 

"I’ve got this." She said silently to herself with determination. 

An hour passed…and another…and another and before Page knew it the sun had began to set. Time seemed to pass so slowly in the city. Every minute seemed to drag on and tick by almost as if it were in slow motion. In Flowerbud, time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. The days just didn’t seem to last long enough. 

Page had just sat down to catch her breath for a moment when she caught a tall, muscular man approaching the farm out of the corner of her eye. 

“Crap! Is it 5:00 already?” She cursed to herself. 

Page struggled to make herself look busy as Zach, the buyer, approached her empty shipping bin. As Zach began to examine the bin, Page couldn’t help but wish she could sink into the earth and disappear. 

“Nothing today again I see?” Zach shared the same doubtful gaze Page had seen in her father’s eyes a week prior. 

“No, not yet.” Page muttered, struggling to make eye contact. 

“You know, Page, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… there’s lots to forage in the mountains! You ought to give it a try, you know, get out a little bit.” 

He wasn’t wrong. The young woman could use a little time away from the farm. Zach couldn’t help but notice the large, dark circles under her eyes. 

“Look,” the buyer added “a bunch of us are going to the bar tonight, why don’t you join us? You know, get to know some of the townspeople. It would be good for you. Plus, you look like you could use a drink right about now.”

Page chuckled and smiled. Her bright brown eyes glistening in the setting sun.

“Ok, ok you’re right. I’ll be there!” She relented.

Page found herself longing for friends and companionship as of late. Images of young men and women gathering around tables, sharing drinks and laughing with each other filled her head. She smiled again to herself. 

“Ok, great. I’ll see you later then. And, seriously, you really should start shipping. You’re going to need an income to get this place back to how it was.” Zach smiled halfheartedly.

Page couldn’t help but feel like a disappointment as she had many times before. She felt her confidence and sense of pride somehow managing to slip away with a single comment. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She had been working so hard and yet, had nothing to show for it. She was overworked, overtired, and overly emotional. The brunette shook her head in an effort to rid herself of such negativity. 

"Come on Page, pull it together. You’ve got this. One step at a time." Page offered herself silent encouragement. 

She took a deep breath and nodded.

“Thanks for the advice, Zach. You’ll be seeing much more from me.”

“Good!” Zach smiled and gave Page a pat on the back. “I’ll see you later, kiddo.”

Page nodded and watched Zach vanish into the distance before picking up her sickle and heading back into the farm house. She hadn’t brought many clothing options with her to Flowebud, as space within the house was limited, however she managed to rummage up a pair of black jeans and a light blue blouse to go with it. She quickly showered, changed, and even applied a little makeup in hopes of making a good first impression. She slipped on some sneakers and headed out the door, butterflies in her stomach.

Page was nervous both with anticipation and excitement as she headed for the bar. She followed the cobblestone path through town towards the square passing the bakery, flower shop, and church. Flowerbud Village had a unique quaintness to it. The town was beautiful and serene, and almost eerily quiet at this time of night.   
Page had reached her destination. She took a deep breath, straightened out her shirt, and opened the door. 

The door creaked open and shut behind Page with a loud thud alerting her presence. The bar had several small tables scattered throughout, each with one or two people sitting at them. Zach stood to the side of a table drinking a beer.

“Page, you made it! Wasn’t sure you’d show, hah.” Zach teased playfully.

Page made her way over the table where a young man of about her age was also seated. He was tall with red hair and wore a tattered jumpsuit.

“Hey, I’m Page nice to meet you.” Page attempted to strike up a conversation with the young man.

“…leave me alone.” Was all he mumbled. 

Page looked to Zach, blushing in awkwardness. Zach shrugged and set his empty beer down on the table. The bar was far from bustling with only several young men scattered about. Page felt suddenly intimidated and completely out of place. She felt herself starting to panic when a young woman, also around her age, brushed by her and sat another beer down for Zach. 

She was tall and slender with brown hair and blonde strands falling on either side of her face. She was unlike anyone Page had ever seen before. Beautiful in an effortless sort of way, she sported jean shorts, brown boots and a purple vest. Page met her piercing green eyes and quickly averted her gaze.

“Can I get you something?” She asked.

“Uh…um…no, I’m fine.” Page managed to sputter out.

“Whatever you say.” The young woman walked back towards the bartender without a second glance. 

Page saw this as good of an opportunity as any to make a new friend. She gathered up her courage and started towards the bar. Page tapped the young woman on the shoulder and she turned around. 

“Hi, I’m Page. Just moved into town, so figured I’d introduce myself.” She smiled. 

“Ah, taking over the old man’s farm. Hah, doesn’t matter you’ll be gone soon anyway.” The young woman scoffed and turned to walk away.

“Hey! Um, I was just-“ 

Before Page could finish her sentence she was cut off.

“Look, I’m working. Unless there’s something you need from me I suggest you just stay out of my way.” 

The young woman grabbed a few drinks from the bar and turned away. Page watched, speechless, as a new found sense of frustration took over. She searched deeply for the sense of determination she prided herself on, but, in this moment, it was nowhere to be found. 

Page decided she had had enough socializing for one night. She waved goodbye to Zach and headed towards the door. 

Tonight may not have been the great success she had hoped for, however tomorrow was a new day and for the first time in a long time, Page was ready for it.


	2. Chapter 2

*Beep Beep Beep*

Page groggily rolled over and silenced her alarm clock. It was 6:00 am and she had already made plans for the day. Page forced herself awake and sat up in her small, yet surprisingly comfortable, bed. Her bare feet felt cool on the floor as she searched for a pair of presentable jeans. After all, today, she was going into town today and she wanted to make a good first impression. 

She settled on a pair of black jeans with a form-fitting red top and let her curly locks hang free just below her shoulders. Page grabbed her glasses from the nightstand, took one last look in the mirror, and headed out the door. 

The young woman took a moment to survey her newly inherited farmland. She walked along the foremost edge of her fields pausing to inspect the patch of land she had finished clearing the day before.

“Yessss. No new weeds here!” Page quietly celebrated to herself. 

With a final glance, she headed towards the entrance to her farm and was on her way to town. 

Page’s mission was to buy seeds for her first spring crops. She found herself unexpectedly both nervous and excited as she met the fork in the road. After all, today she was taking the first real steps on her journey to becoming a farmer. It was time to make her grandfather proud and prove those who doubted her, perhaps including herself at times, wrong. She took a deep breath and took a right at the fork. 

As Page started down the cobblestone road and into town, she mentally recounted the brief tour Mayor Thomas had given her on the day she moved in.  
“Ok, almost there. The shop should be right over here on the left.” Page mumbled to herself. 

She took a moment to take in her surroundings. The small town was delicately beautiful with little shops and buildings scattered about. Unlike in the city, Flowerbud Village was clean and slow-paced. Villagers strolled about, stopping to chat with each other with no visible sense of urgency. 

Page smiled to herself as she felt her nervous anxiety melt away with each passing moment. She felt her muscles relax a bit as she let out a quiet sigh followed by a deep breath of fresh, unpolluted, mountain air. It was so vastly different than what she had experienced in the city. Page found herself longing to be a part of this newfound community as she continued on her journey to to the flower shop. 

*Flower Lilia- Open 9:00 am-5:00 pm. Closed Sundays.*

Page approached the door to the flower shop and read the small, corresponding sign. 

“Well, here goes nothing.” Page silently encouraged herself as she straightened the straps of her rucksack. 

She pushed open the door triggering a small *ding* which alerted the shopkeeper to her presence. 

“Hello, there! Welcome to Flower Lilia. I was wondering when you’d stop by!” 

The shopkeeper was a warm, middle aged, pink-haired woman with soft, strawberry colored eyes. She smiled at Page as she approached her from behind the counter.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lilia. What can I help you with today?”

Page smiled back, pleased to meet such a kind, friendly new face. 

“Nice to meet you, too! I’m Page. I was wondering if I could buy some seeds for my farm.”

My farm. The words had always felt strange coming from the young woman’s mouth, however this time she said it with confidence and a growing sense of pride. 

“Certainly! Come with me and I’ll show you what we have available for spring planting.” 

Page followed Lilia across the shop to a table with a variety of plant seeds on display. 

“So, we have seeds for three different types of spring crops. Turnips grow the fastest, however they do sell for the lowest price. Then you have cabbage over here which takes the longest to grow, but sells for the highest price. Potatoes stand somewhere in the middle, taking a moderate amount of time to grow and selling for an average price. All of the seeds cost the same price at 200G. I know it’s a lot of information to take in. What are you thinking?”

Page paused for a moment as she weighed her options internally. Although she ideally would have liked to grow crops selling for the highest price right away, she was currently short on cash and could use some quick money. Once she had a bit more gold under her belt, she could invest in more crops selling for a higher price which could turn into a steady income. 

“I think I’ll go with a pack of the turnip seeds, please.” Page spoke, confident in her decision. 

“Perfect! I’ll ring you up right here at the counter.” 

Page fumbled through her rucksack and handed Lillia 200G. 

“Here you are!” Lilia wrapped up a pack of turnip seeds and handed them to the young woman across the counter. 

“Thank you so much, Lillia. I really appreciate all of your help today.”

“Of course! I hope to be seeing much more of you. You have your work cut out on the old man’s farm, but I think you have what it takes.” 

Lillia smiled warmly at Page unaware of just how much she needed to hear some kind words of encouragement in that moment. 

“You will, I promise! I am going to do my absolute best. Thank you again.” Page gave a friendly wave and turned to leave the shop. 

“Oh, Page! One more thing before you go. My daughter, Popuri, is just outside the shop. If you have a moment why don’t you introduce yourself? She’s right around your age and is very friendly. Like I always say, it never hurts to have too many friends!” 

Page’s face lit up with excitement. If Popuri was anything like her mother, Page would be glad to call her a friend.

“That sounds perfect! I’ll go do that now. I’ll see you later Lillia!” 

Lillia gave a nod and waved as Page exited the shop. 

“Ah, to be young again!” Lillia giggled to herself.

If Page had any fear of locating which young woman was Popuri, they were squashed the minute she spotted her. Popuri shared the same long, flowing pink hair and strawberry eyes as Lillia with a smile to match. She wore a form-fitting black bodice and floor-length red skirt. Popuri was petite, yet womanly and carried herself as if she were floating, rather than walking, along the sidewalk. She seemed to be lost in her own world as she paced up and down the length of the flower shop. Page watched, mesmerized, as Popuri travelled back and fourth pausing to water, what appeared to be, little spaces and cracks between the cobblestone. 

Popuri set her watering can aside as Page approached and flashed her a cheerful smile. 

“Popuri?”

“Hi there! What can I help you with?” Popuri wasn’t used to seeing new faces in town, especially ones her age, and was pleasantly surprised by the newcomer. 

“Ah, hi. I just wanted to come introduce myself. I’m Page…I just bought some seeds from your mom and she suggested I come out and meet you! Well, it’s, uh, nice to meet you.” Page chuckled at her own awkwardness in the situation. She never was great at introductions. 

“Oh, yes! I heard the old man’s granddaughter was taking over the farm and, well, here you are. Welcome to Flowerbud! If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. I’m here pretty much every day working on my herbs and helping around the shop or in the greenhouse.”

“Herbs?” Page asked curiously. 

“Yep! I noticed some clovers growing here in these grassy spaces and around town, but people keep stepping on them so they die pretty quickly. I’m trying to see what happens if I take care of them and allow them to grow. Who knows, maybe they can be useful in some sort of way! I know some people pick herbs and grasses in the mountains so, to me, it’s worth a shot. Anyhow, it may sound silly, but it’s my very own little experiment.”

*Ah, so that explains the sidewalk watering.*

“Wow, Popuri that’s actually pretty cool!”

“You really think so?” She asked with a whimsical look in her eye that Page couldn’t help but find sort of adorable.

“Yeah, I really do! You’ll have to keep me updated on your progress.” 

“It’s a deal.” Popuri offered her hand to Page and they shook on it.

“Yoohoo!” Un unfamiliar voice called from across the road. 

“Hi, Elli!” Popuri yelled back. “I’m sending our new farmer over to meet you!”

“Sounds good!” Elli yelled back.

“Sorry for putting you on the spot like that, Page, but you absolutely must go and meet Elli! Her cakes and cookies are to die for. You’ll thank me later.” Popuri gave a playful wink.

“Well, I’m a sucker for dessert so I’m sure I will.” Page patted her soft belly with a giggle. She never could pass up a good sweet treat. Sure, she wasn’t thin, but she also wasn’t afraid to enjoy the things she loved, food included. 

“I’ll see you around, Page. Happy planting!” Popuri grabbed her watering can and continued working on her “experiment”.

“See ya!” 

Page made her way across the path where she was met by another young woman also around her age. She had short brown hair, tucked behind an ear, and soft coffee colored eyes. Her blue dress reached the floor adorned with an apron and a black bow tie. Although her clothes were conservative, they still managed to show off the young woman’s voluptuous, curvy figure.

“Well, hello there! I’m Elli. Nice to meet you.” 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Page. I’ve heard great things about your food!” 

Elli smiled. “I think you should taste it for yourself! Come on in and I’ll grab you some fresh cake.” 

Page followed eagerly as Elli led her inside the small bakery. 

“Hey, Jeff grab me a piece of cake for our new town resident if you’d be so kind!” 

“Sure, thing!” The young man was of medium height with jet black hair, a thin mustache and dark brown eyes. Page couldn’t help but notice how he exuded a calm aura and she felt strangely relaxed in his presence. He smiled at her as he handed Elli the piece of cake. 

“Thanks, Jeff! This is Page, you know, the one who’s taking over the old man’s farm.” Elli passed Page a fork to go with her cake. 

“Ah, of course! Nice to meet you, Page. I’m Jeff, the master of the bakery. Welcome to town and welcome to Flowerbud Bakery.”

“Nice to meet you, and thank you both so much for the cake.” Page took a bite. “Oh my goodness this is delicious! Popuri was right.” The cake was light with a perfectly rich buttercream frosting and strawberries layered in between. 

“Tehe, I’m so glad you like it. It’s an old family recipe. I’ll take you to meet granny once you’re done! I’m sure she’d love to meet you.” Elli giggled. 

“Sounds great.” Page managed to mutter between bites. 

“You know, Page, we used to get many of our fresh baking supplies from your grandfather’s farm. It would be great if you could do the same. Nothing’s quite as delicious as food made with fresh ingredients. Having products shipped in from out of town has made it difficult for us to provide a wide selection due to the price of ingredients.” Jeff shrugged. Page couldn’t help but wonder if he was downplaying his dismay.

Page set her fork down on her empty plate. “Well, I would love to provide you guys with fresh ingredients again. I really will do my absolute best to restore the farm to the way it was. I must say, though, that cake was phenomenal regardless.”

“Well, let’s go tell granny, shall we?” Elli passed Page’s empty plate across the counter to Jeff and opened a door leading to a small courtyard outside. 

“Thanks again, Jeff!” Page called. 

“Don’t mentioned it!” He replied with a grin. 

Page followed Elli outside where an elderly woman sat in a rocking chair smiling to herself. She set her knitting down when she realized the presence of her granddaughter and her guest. 

“Grandma, this is Page the old man’s granddaughter, taking over the farm.”

“Oh, my! You sure do look like your grandpappy. So nice to meet you, dear. My name is Ellen. Pete and I were good friends for a long long time. I’m so sorry for your loss. Know that we here in Flowerbud miss him greatly.” The old woman took Page’s hand and gave it a gentle rub.

“Nice to meet you, Ellen. I only hope that I can make him proud from wherever he is.” Page smiled sadly. 

“Dear, the harvest goddess is watching over him, I’m sure of it. Perhaps it were she that sent you here to us. I do believe everything in this life happens for a reason. We just need to trust and have faith.” Ellen smiled as a breeze rolled in ruffling her bonnet ever so slightly. 

“So, have you given the farm a name? It’s yours now after all.” The old woman smiled knowingly up at Page.  
“Yes…yes, I have.” Page paused for a moment expecting to second guess herself, but this time the doubt never came. 

“Sakura. My farm’s name is Sakura Farm.” The young farmer replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, just a small trigger warning for allusions to domestic violence

"Urgh!" Page threw her watering can on the ground in frustration.

_I suck I suck I suck_ she repeated in her head on a seemingly countless loop. She could swear she heard taunting laughter peppering the backdrop of her mind as she kicked the ground.

The young woman found herself seriously questioning her life choices as the setting sun beat down on her.

_What on earth have I gotten myself into?_

Page was sweaty, dirty, and exhausted. She pulled her hair tie out angrily, releasing dark, curly locks from the shackles of a tight bun. Page shook her head and let out a deep sigh. The horizon appeared ablaze as the church bells rang.

_6:00 pm already. What a waste of a day._

The thought of heading to the bar and socializing made Page's skin crawl as did turning in for the night, alone in the silence of her tiny farmhouse. The feeling of both fatigue and restlessness made Page uneasy.

After some debating with herself Page decided that a walk in the mountains should help her cool down and release some of her energy. After all, it was highly unlikely that anyone would be out during this hour. Families were probably sitting around their dinner tables discussing both exciting and mundane events from their days, enjoying each other's company in the glow of the sunset.

Page hated to admit it, but she longed for a cozy life like those she was imagining in her mind. As much as she was ambitious and goal driven, at the end of the day what she wanted most was the comfort of being loved. She hoped she could find that in Flowerbud, but at the same time she feared intruding on relationships that may or may not already be established. The last thing she wanted was to cause conflict in such a peaceful place, but with her luck that might happen anyway.

Page choked back a lump in her throat as an outpouring of infinite "what if's" plagued her mind. She snapped back to reality and took a swig of water from her rucksack. She started down the path to the mountains.

The night was still, almost eerily so, as the sound of distant chirping filled the air. As Page walked, she worked hard to take in each moment, focusing on the sights and sounds so not to let her mind wander too far. She noticed how, in the daytime, the trees lining the pathway provided a much needed shade, but she couldn't help but feel as if they were looming over her in the twilight of the evening. Although she felt alone, there was no sense of urgency or danger as she continued her journey to the mountains.

**_BOOM_ **

The sound of a door slamming violently towards the entrance of the vineyard stopped Page in her tracks. She froze as panic washed over her. She wanted to flee, but her feet wouldn't move her. Her mouth went dry and she swore she could feel her blood run cold. Her breath became shallow as she struggled to take in enough air and her hands turned clammy with sweat.

She heard yelling in the distance followed by another loud slam. The yelling intensified as it drew closer.

"Get your ass back in the house, girl or I'll bring you back here myself!" A man's booming voice cut through the stillness of the night shaking Page to her core.

"No! You can't keep me here! I hate it! I hate you!" A young woman's voice spat back.

"What did I ever do to raise such an undutiful, pathetic excuse for a daughter!"

Page heard footsteps scuttling down the hill leading up to the vineyard.

"Yeah, well one way or another, I'll be gone soon so don't lose any sleep thinking about it!"

A young woman came into view as she raced down the path. Page recognized her as the girl she met at the bar not too long ago. Thick, blonde strands of hair stuck to her face as tears travelled down her cheeks. She clutched her knee. It was bleeding.

"And just what are you looking at?" The young woman glared at Page and averted her gaze when it was met.

"I'm sorry…I just…are you ok?"

Page wondered if she had overstepped, however in that moment she didn't care. Her brown eyes met the young woman's green ones.

"We have to get out of here" she spoke with a surprising amount of calm. Like she had done this dozens of times.

"Ok, well you look hurt. You can come back to my farm and-"

"No! I don't want you getting involved with him. If he finds me on your farm…if he sees you…" the young woman's voice now hid a glimmer of panic.

"Where can we go then? I'm not just going to leave you like this."

"I know a place. Let's go."

The young woman was quick and determined, despite her injury, as she led Page along a path towards the Green Ranch. A million questions entered Page's mind, however she kept her silence. Her own worries and frustrations seemed to dissipate as she focused on the person next to her and the unfolding situation.

The pair continued to walk quickly and quietly as the sound of waves began to echo in the darkness. The young woman led Page down a small ramp and onto a small, abandoned beach.

The young woman walked towards the shore and stared out at the sea in silence with sadness in her emerald eyes and a longing that both intrigued and confused Page. She watched as strands of blonde and brunette hair danced with each other in the wind. The ebb and flow of waves provided a much needed calming atmosphere as they lapped up onto the shore.

"Look, I know what happened back there is really none of my business, but we should get that cut on your leg cleaned out." Page broke the silence.

The young woman smiled and tore her gaze from the crashing waves in the distance. She turned to face Page and paused on her face for a moment. To Page's surprise she extended her hand.

"I'm Karen. The other day at the bar…I was rude to you. I'm sorry for that. There's just a lot going on in my life, ok? I wouldn't expect you to understand, but I have my reasons for acting the way I do. Things aren't easy around here."

"Who says I wouldn't understand? In all honesty, you don't know anything about me, so I would prefer if you didn't judge me off the bat." Page replied, perhaps a bit too assertively.

"Hah," Karen scoffed "Well, it doesn't really matter anyway. I'll be gone soon and for what it's worth you'd be smart to consider doing the same. Things here aren't all roses and popsicles you know. Why someone would _choose_ to live here is beyond me."

"I have my reasons just like you have yours, but I'll spare you the sob story. Now, about that leg. Let me see it."

Page reached into her rucksack and pulled out her water bottle. Cleaning the wound without proper aniseptic wouldn't help much, but it was better than doing nothing. Karen relented and sat down in the sand next to Page. Half dried blood streaked from Karen's knee down into her white sock.

"So…do you want to tell me how this happened?" Page met Karen's eyes in the darkness as she awaited a response she wasn't sure she would receive.

Karen wasn't used to anyone actually taking an interest in what she had to say. In fact, she often felt more like an object than a person in her hometown. She cursed her beauty which made her stand out from the others in the village. She found that she did everything in her power to keep her distance from almost everyone she encountered. She dreamt only of becoming invisible and undetectable, drifting far away.

Karen took a deep breath as her shoulders sunk, releasing her pent up tension.

"I tripped. I was….running away from my father. He tried to stop me and, well…I kept running. My sorry excuse for a mother may stand for his treatment, but I won't. I won't stop fighting, and I make no apologies for that."

Page realized the hurt in Karen's eyes as she brushed a tear away returning her gaze to the sea.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Karen gave Page a shy smile in return.

"Ok," Page smiled back "Let's see that leg then."

Karen winced as Page poured water over her knee brushing bits of debris and sand away with the back of her hand.

"Well, it's not perfect but it's better than nothing." Page shrugged. "Promise me you'll properly clean that when you get back home?"

The word _home_ pained Karen. She dreaded returning to her promised prison and cherished the remaining moments of her fleeting freedom as sore as they were.

"Ok, ok I promise," Karen paused for a moment "oh and, uh, thank you…you know, for helping me and whatnot."

"I'm happy to do it. And…for what it's worth I'm here if you need me."

Page smiled softly in the silence unsure of how much time had passed.

"It's getting dark. Should we head back?"

"You go on ahead, I think I'll stay here for a while." Karen broke the silence.

"No…I can stay. I'll stay with you until you're ready."

The two returned to their silence. It was somehow comfortable. Neither felt the need to fill it with idle banter or small talk, they simply sat on the shore taking in the hypnotic, fading sounds of waves coming and going as they pleased. Both young women allowed themselves get lost in their thoughts with no effort to fight them.

" _One way or another, I'll be gone soon."_

Page played the phrase in her mind over and over as darkness faded to black.


End file.
